Stephen King's 'IT': Cary Fukanaga Confirms Clash With Studio Was Why He Left

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When we learned that True Detective's director, Cary Fukanaga, had signed on to direct the reboot of Stephen King's It, most fans were thrilled. And then we were bummed when he later exited the project, prompting rumors that there had been the often-blamed "creative differences" between the director and studio.

While speaking to EW about his new film for Netflix, Beasts of No Nation, Fukanaga confirmed that it had indeed been creative clashing that ultimately led to his departure from the project. When New Line slashed the budget from the original $30 million, Fukanaga realized it just wasn't going to work, and the situation came to a head on Memorial Day weekend.

Ultimately, we and New Line have to agree on the kind of movie we want to make, and we just wanted to make different movies. It’s like a relationship: you can try to make the other person who you want them to be, but it’s impossible really to change. You just have to work.

Still, it was one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make, he admitted. Much like Edgar Wright with Ant-Man, Fukanaga had been laboring over the script with writing partner, Chase Palmer, for years.

Chase and I had been working on that script for probably three years. There was a lot of our childhood and our experience in it.

It currently exists with director Andy Muschietti at the helm. As he brought in a new writer to help him reshape his idea for a tighter budget, it looks like the Fukanaga script will never see the light of day. Luckily, actor Will Poulter, who had already signed on to play Pennywise the Clown, is still on board.

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